Beach House - The Glass House - April 10, 2013

It's that time of year again, when the lucky few (or around 100,000) ascend to the desert on two special weekends for this thing called Coachella. Maybe you've heard of it? Supposedly a bunch of cool bands play, and because of that, they can't tour around Los Angeles. But there is a loophole, and it's called Pomona.

Because it is just far enough outside of L.A., bands are able to play pre-Coachella shows at The Glass House and Fox Theater, and those of us without the financial means--or will--to endure an expensive, scorching three days in the polo fields are still able to catch some of the festival's big acts (huzzah!). Last night, Beach House kicked off the string of amazing acts playing Pomona in the week to come (The Postal Service, Modest Mouse, and Phoenix are just a few others), and The Glass House was filled to the brim.

Katrina Nattress

Live, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally employ a tour guitarist to give their sound a larger oomph, and oddly enough, that guitarist may have exuded the most energy of the three-piece. Legrand stood stoically behind her keyboard and Scally behind his drum kit as the trio floated through selections off last year's acclaimed Bloom and its most recent predecessor, Teen Dream. When the set began, the lighting was dark and mysterious, albeit for sparse bursts of blues, but when Legrand and company struck the first note of "Norway," the backdrop began to shimmer with sparkling lights.

From there, the light show became the center of attention. While the band played "Other People," the lighting looked like a sunset, with pink, orange, purple and yellow hues fading in and out of each other. The crowd cheered for "Lazuli," while Legrand created chilling vocal loops in front of a serene blue backdrop.

"Okay California, touch your neighbor," she instructed her fans in between songs. "Right now." And as the crowd did as it was told, the band dove into "Silver Soul," a tranquil track off Teen Dream that was heightened by twinkling star-like lights dancing on a purple sky. After over an hour of straight performing, the band took a break, and the audience cheered for an encore. Of course, the dream poppers obliged and ended the night with "10 Mile Stereo," and "Irene," before quietly exiting the stage.

Critical Bias: The sound was dead-on and the light show was enchanting, but I could be just as happy listening to a Beach House record in the comfort of my own home.

The Crowd: People too broke to go to Coachella.

Overheard in the Crowd: "Who would you rather kill, Brandon Flowers, Taylor Swift, or Justin Timberlake?"

Random Notebook Dump: Beach House shows should come with pillows and blankets...or LSD.